International

CANBERRA: Tens of thousands of women protested across Australia against sexual violence and gender inequality on Monday, as outrage grew over rape allegations that have convulsed the conservative government. The #March4Justice rallies were held in more than 40 Australian cities and towns, with a major demonstration in Canberra following allegations of sexual assault in the nation’s parliament. Dressed mostly in …

China is poised to ease border restrictions to allow some foreigners — including from the United States, India and Pakistan — back in, provided they have taken a Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccine. The country has been closed to most foreigners since last March to stem the spread of coronavirus which it has largely brought under control at home, stranding many foreigners …

A new feature has appeared at smoke shops in Montana, gas stations in the Carolinas and delis in far-flung corners of New York City: a brightly-lit bitcoin ATM, where customers can buy or sell digital currency, and sometimes extract hard cash. The machines have multiplied quickly through the United States over the past year, fueled by a frenzy in crypto …

STOCKHOLM: International deliveries of arms were flat in the period 2016-2020, ending more than a decade of increases, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report on Monday. The United States, France and Germany – three of the world’s biggest exporters – increased deliveries, but falls in exports from Russian and China offset the rise, SIPRI said. …

PARIS: The United States should act quickly to revive Iran’s nuclear deal, because once Iran’s presidential election period kicks off it is unlikely much will happen until later this year, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Monday. Speaking at the European Policy Centre think tank, Zarif repeated Tehran’s longstanding demand that Washington return first to compliance by lifting sanctions. …

  TEHRAN: British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe appeared in a Tehran court on Sunday to face new charges of “propaganda against the system”, a week after she finished serving a five-year sentence, her lawyer said. The hearing has dashed the hopes of family and supporters for a swift release of the 42-year-old, in a case that has heightened diplomatic tensions …

SYDNEY: Thousands protested in Australia’s Perth on Sunday, kicking off a nationwide campaign for gender equality as anger swells over rape accusations that have rocked the country’s halls of power. The Western Australian city launched the #March4Justice with a packed rally where people chanted “enough is enough” and held up placards dema­nding action to address sexual violence against women, local …

ROME: Italy’s northern region of Piedmont said on Sunday it would stop using a batch of AstraZeneca coronavirus shots after a teacher died following his vaccination on Saturday. The region, around the northern city of Turin, had initially suspended all AstraZeneca vaccines in order to identify and isolate the batch from which the jab administered to the teacher, from the …

GAUHATI: More than 100 people fleeing Myanmar have entered a small village in India’s northeast, adding to scores who had already arrived since last month’s military coup in the neighbouring Southeast Asian country, a village leader said on Sunday. A total of 116 Myanmar nationals crossed the Tiau River and reached Farkawn Village through a stretch where India’s paramilitary Assam …

WASHINGTON: The United States currently has 3,500 troops in Afghanistan, 1,000 more than the declared total of 2,500, The New York Times reported on Sunday. The additional number “adds another layer of complexity to the swirling debate at the White House over whether to stick with the deadline” set in the US-Taliban peace deal, the newspaper noted. The deal, negotiated by the …